The UN has slapped a global port ban on four vessels found violating sanctions against North Korea, the head of an expert panel said. “The designation doesn’t mean an assets freeze or travel ban. But it's a port ban,” Hugh Griffiths, coordinator of a UN Security Council panel on North Korea sanctions, said Monday. The ships were found “transporting prohibited goods,” AFP quoted Griffiths as saying. “It’s a pretty swift and decisive action by the committee,” he said, describing the move as “unprecedented.” The ban went into effect on October 5. Sources say the ships were found carrying coal, seafood and iron ore, exports banned by a UN resolution brought by the US in August. Last month, the ban was expanded to include textiles and North Korean guest workers and also capped oil exports. The listed ships are reportedly the ‘Petrel 8’, ‘Hao Fan 6’, ‘Tong San 2’ and ‘Jie Shun’. The MarineTraffic website says the first three fly the flags of Comoros, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and North Korea.